Mammals · Artiodactyla · Balaenopteridae
Balaenoptera musculus
At very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.
It is the largest animal ever to have lived on this planet, bigger even than the largest dinosaurs known. It feeds almost entirely on krill, filtering up to 8 tonnes a day.
Weight
100 t – 150 t
Size
21 m – 30 m
Life expectancy
90 years
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
Activity
Irregular activity
Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Estimated population
10,000 - 25,000 animals
AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.
Sources consulted: iNaturalist; Britannica; A-Z Animals; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); KnowScape.blog; A-Z Animals (gestation period)
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 15 of 18.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Blue Whale — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The blue whale is classified as endangered. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 5 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Based on what we already know about blue whale.
Share an experience, a fun fact or a tip for seeing the blue whale.
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The pins mark the parks and dive sites where its presence is documented.
